Judge, 1909-12-04 · page 40 of 48
Judge — December 4, 1909 — page 40: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a whimsical children's comic strip, not political satire. It depicts Little Johnny and friends encountering Santa Claus on Christmas Eve—but with a modernized twist: Santa now travels by airship rather than sleigh and reindeer, reflecting early-1900s fascination with new aviation technology. The narrative follows the boys' mischievous Christmas Eve adventure seeking Santa. After failing to find traditional sleigh evidence in the snow, they spot his airship and pursue him across rooftops to the chimney. The story ends with Santa good-naturedly scolding them for their injuries while providing practical Christmas gifts (soap and liniment) rather than toys—a gentle moral lesson about obedience and self-care. The "taffy 'possums" reference in the title remains unclear from this page alone, possibly referring to character names or a subplot not fully visible.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
uage- LITTLE JOHNNY AND THE TAFFY ’POSSUMS. OLD “'SANTY" MAY GET MAD AT BOYS, BUT ALWAYS ENDS BY GIVING TOYS. 1, Twas Christmas Eve, a clear cold night— 2 They seek in vain upon the snow— John and his band in great delight No trace of sled or deer below. Go forth quite stealthily because But Johnny, glancing upward, sees “They hope that they'll see Santa Claus. His airship flying midst the trees ‘ | 4. But Johnny leads them without stop Up walls and roofs to chimney top. There they can reach the airship ropes And climb still higher, filled with hopes 6. “Shame! shame! " he cries, “you children all — Sore, bruised and dirty from your fall Dow til Some soap and liniment would be ‘They land ka-thump! in Santa’s face. A fitting Christmas gift from me.” COPYRIGHT, 1909, BY JOHN A, SLEICHER, PRESIDENT, 25 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK. comicbooks.com